We need to prioritize our SLEEP now to optimize our HEALTH!
The SLEEP DOCTOR, Dr. Breus, wrote a great article on why we need a good nights rest to improve our immune system …plus seven tips to getting a great sleep especially during stressful times in our world! I agree with these tips and follow them myself at my household…I added my thoughts to his list!
- Set boundaries when you are online, watching media, and reading social media updates… “Give yourself an electronic curfew of 90 min prior to lights out”
- Implement meditation or types of progressive relaxation breathing exercises (mind-body connection). I always say “Disconnect to Connect with Others!”
- Consider meditation or progressive relaxation before bed or while falling asleep.
- Inhale and Exhale with 7 Benefits Pranayama (Yogic Breathing)
- Pranayama can help prevent stress. …
- Keep calm and relax. …
- Set fire to those calories. …
- Level up your energy. …
- Use your lungs to the full capacity. …
- Do more yoga to balance your heart rate after performing strenuous yoga.
Bhramari Pranayama Benefits–
- Very beneficial effect on the nervous system (ANS)
- Restores the elasticity of lungs and beneficial in Asthmatic conditions.
- Practiced daily it induces meditative states and quietens the mind.
- Beneficial in relieving hypertension and stress.
- It relaxes the mind and lowers stress and reduces tension and anxiety.
- It helps to reduce anger and frustrations.
- Daily Pranayama slows the ageing process.
- It makes your skin glow and releases toxins.
- Provides stillness of mind and provides lightness in your body.
- Helps in weight reduction and melts excess fats.
- Breathe easy with daily pranayama’s.
- Daily Pranayama is a holistic wellness practice for mind, body and soul.
How to do daily Pranayama?
- Place should be ventilated
- Mornings and evenings are an ideal time for the pranayama practices
- Everyday about 15 minutes of pranayama
- Place should be neat and clean free of dirt, pollutants and pollutants.
- Make it a point to practice every day at same place and time
- Place should be distraction proof
- Daily pranayama practice should be done on an empty stomach (at least 4 hours after any meal/snack consumption)
- Write in a GRATITUDE Journal each night! I write in a journal each night (especially since the Covid-19 pandemic) about three things or more that I am grateful for that day then I set my intentions on what I want to achieve the next day. Writing out your thoughts is very therapeutic and great way to de-stress as to me writing is a mind-dump and clears out the thoughts from the day- setting up for a quality deep sleep. Dr. Breus added in his sleep hygiene list that “Thinking less stressful or positive thoughts can help reduce stressful feelings and help with sleep (improves deep sleep and encourages more positive dreams).”
- Keep your schedule consistent! Our goal is to keep our body on a consistent circadian rhythm- body clock so try to be consistent on your sleep-wake cycle especially as it is easy to stay up too late watching television and sleeping in but keep a bed-time schedule. I stop eating three hours before bed, strive to get 8-9 hours of sleep per night and allow time for my “sleep hygiene” routine before sleep time. Weekdays, I stop eating before 5pm (6pm at the latest), prepare for bed (wash face and prep for next day), read in bed and write in my gratitude journal around 8pm at the latest. I wake up without an alarm before 6am but my “old” schedule as waking up at 4:30am to be at the gym at 5:30am. Now my “gym” is at home (Covid-19) and “yoga class” or “Circuit Training” begins at 6AM or 6:30AM. Dr. Breus added… “Avoid extra napping if you are home bound-it will only disrupt your nighttime sleep” on his list.
- Lower stimulants and depressants: I agree completely with Dr. Breus on this one especially with those individuals who battle with excessive stressors already… adding “fuel to the fire” is not needed with those with elevated cortisol levels (stress hormones) already –“caffeine and alcohol- if you are already stressed out, adding caffeine to the mix is NOT a great idea, it will only increase the unwanted side effects”. Alcohol, while making you feel sleepy, does NOT allow for quality rest, which in turn will make you feel even more stressed if you have a hangover the next day. It also makes you less able to fight a virus.” Less is more… and stop drinking coffee or caffeinated beverages by noon or maximum 2pm (including green tea). I suggest to my clients to only drink 1-2 nights per week with two drinks maximum as on the weekend. Avoid drinking alcohol ideally – especially if a habit and you can’t go without it for 30-days!
- Take a Hot Shower or Bath 90 minutes before bed: Dr. Breus suggests to “wash off all those germs and increase your core body temperature. Your body temperature will decrease once you get out of the tub and help produce melatonin naturally”. Also, if you are going to have a bath then try adding magnesium or Epsom salts to your bath plus lavender essential oils! You will sleep like a baby for sure – and be “de-sanitized”!
- Clean your environment: If possible, use HEPA filtration for your bedroom air. Be sure to wash your sheets and pillow cases two times per week (during Covid-19 pandemic for sure!) in HOT water. Make time to detox your house, especially your bedroom with an deep cleaning of your bedroom, as we spend the most hours per day in our bedroom sleeping each night! We want to eliminate environmental toxins/stressors as EMF in our bedroom as well as mold and other air pollutants so get your HEPA filtration system working and turn off the Wi-Fi or remove from your bedroom.
- Source: https://thesleepdoctor.com/
Use the code ” Thewholeathlete” for a discount on your blue blocker glasses (even new ones with readers!) when you check out at www.raoptics.com
The founder of Ra-Optics, a young brilliant man, Matt Maruca is a researcher, educator, and entrepreneur in the field of Photobiology- the study of how light affects human health. He is the founder of Ra Optics, which focuses on developing the world’s highest quality blue light protection glasses. He began his health journey while in school after having suffered from poor health and chronic fatigue for years. He chose to skip the standard path of higher education to start his own business and pursue his passion of self-education and building optimal health to experience life to its fullest extent. He travels the world, studying and teaching about the relevance of light in human health.
Learn more about Ra-Optics and the benefits here…remember to use your discount code upon check-out …“thewholeathlete”
Why Blue Blockers?
Everyone knows that using a phone before bed is bad for our sleep. But few know that it doesn’t end with phones. Late-night computer use, TV, and even exposure to any bright lighting can leave us tossing, turning, and feeling under-rested the next day. Why? When we are exposed to man-made light at night, it signals to our brain that it is daytime, so our brain stops secreting melatonin, our sleep and anti-aging molecule, preventing us from entering a maximally regenerative sleep state. We may sleep, but we will not fall asleep as quickly and easily as we can, nor sleep as deeply and restfully as we can. This is because blue light frequencies, which are the main component of all modern screen lighting and light bulbs, are the same frequencies found in sunlight that naturally set our internal clock, which determines whether we should be awake or sleeping and repairing. So, any exposure to these blue frequencies after sunset prevents our brain from calming down, secreting melatonin, and getting ready for optimal sleep. Everyone knows that sleep is critical for optimal health, but few realize just how important it really is. During sleep is when we repair our mitochondria, the thousands of little engines in our cells that turn our food into useful cellular energy. When we are young, our mitochondria function really well (“fast metabolism”), and they generally decline in function as we age. If mitochondrial energy production stops, we die immediately. Research shows that poor sleep is linked to weight gain, and leading experts are showing that it is largely due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Not only that; poor sleep is also linked to anxiety, depression, diabetes, heart disease, neurodegenerative disease, and most other health issues, and research indicates that it is for the same reason. Most importantly, the most common cause of poor sleep, and therefore the resultant health issues, is excessive artificial light exposure at night. That can be said again. The most common cause of poor sleep, and therefore the resultant health issues, is excessive artificial light exposure at night.
https://raoptics.com/pages/the-benefits
Let me know your thoughts and questions! SLEEP is essential to repair, rebuild and restore the WHOLE you from the inside out so get your quality 7-9 hours of sleep tonight.
You can learn more about your chronotype and the “Power of When” on my podcast episodes with Dr. Breus – The Sleep Doctor. Plus listen to my podcast episode on sleep and light with Matt Maruca.
Now go play, laugh and smile!
Debbie Potts
